Uushenkisyys

Uushenkisyys, edited by Tiina Mahlamäki and Minna Opas, Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 2022

Diversity, mobility and crossing of boarders – these are themes that run like a red thread through all chapters of the book Uushenkisyys (Contemporary Spirituality) edited by Tiina Mahlamäki and Minna Opas. These themes have always been relevant in the study of religion but are today especially central to understanding contemporary spirituality: a phenomenon that is not always or obviously captured by scholars of religion’s conventional conceptual apparatus with ready-made, corrected explanatory models.

The book chapters analyse different expressions of contemporary spirituality as a field of knowledge and practice in today’s Finland based on different theoretical and methodological approaches, in different contexts and times. The conclusions substantiate what ethnographically oriented researchers have long argued: people’s everyday lives are a kaleidoscope where a plethora of contextual factors, personal choices, cultural heritage and environment, emotions, societal structures and much more shape how the individual identifies with, thinks, and talks about and makes use of religion

The book shows the way towards an open and explorative approach to the role of religion in the various studied everyday contexts. The chapters provide an insight into how different people in today’s Finland negotiate their way to their own place on the map of spirituality. Often, this is a place where different worlds, traditions, practices, and beliefs meet. Where do people today find words and communities that can give shape to their own life and their own person? The analyses show that many are looking for a spiritual commitment that feels “genuine” and rooted in history but is also meaningful on a personal level. Something that creates community, can be realized in the middle of life and touches both body and soul.